Kauai

Pictures by QT Luong

Kauai, nicknamed the Garden Island, is for the most part a wilderness. Kauai's inaccessible central peak, Mt Waialeale, is the rainiest place on earth. The valleys below, incredibly lush and pristine, have served as a backdrop to movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Jurassic Park. Since Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands, erosion had time to carve deep valleys (Waimea Canyon) and steep cliffs (Na Pali coast), creating the most dramatic scenery on the islands. Kauai is the least developed of the four major islands, having maintained until recently a sugar cane based economy, and prohibited high-rise hotels.